Seat cushion spring assembly



Feb. 20, 1951 c -r 2,542,354

SEAT CUSHION SPRING ASSEMBLY Filed April 11, 1949 Patented Feb. 20, 1951.UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE .SEAT GUSHION SPRING ASSEMBLY CorneliusEugene Platt, Carthage, Mo.

Application April ,11, 1949, Serial No. 86,789

4 Claims. (01. 155 .179-) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in seat cushion spring assemblies, and has particularreference to a novel means for assembling the constituent coil springsto form the completed cushion.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision, in aseat cushion spring comprising a plurality of coil springs, of means forjoining said springs comprising a plurality of connecting rings eachhaving the form of an annular, outwardly opening channel adapted toengage the base loops of the adjacent coil springs, the walls of saidring being crimped about said spring base loops. This structure providesa spring assembly in which the springs are securely joined, securedagainst lateral movement, in which a load supported by the cushion isdistributed over alarger number of springs, and which presents arelatively smooth surface to any upholstery supported by said springs.

Other objects are simplicity and economy of construction, a small numberof parts, and adaptability for use in spring cushions of a wide varietyof types.

With these objects in View, as well as other objects which will appearin the course of the specification, reference will be had to thedrawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a section of a seat cushion spring assemblyembodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section taken on line II--II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on line III-III of Fig.2.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line IV-IV of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view of one of the connecting rings.

Fig. 6 is a section taken on line VI-VI of Fig. 5.

Like reference numerals apply to similar parts throughout the severalviews, and the numeral 2 applies to a plurality of coil springs, saidsprings being of the standard hour-glass shape as shown, or of theconventional cylindrical or conical shapes, and each having asubstantially circular lower base loop 4 and upper loop 6. Said springsare disposed in parallel rows with their axes parallel and with bottomloops 4 and upper loops 6 disposed respectively in common parallelplanes, this arrangement being common in spring cushions. Said springsare assembled to form the completed cushion by a plurality of likeconnecting rings 8.

As best shown in Figs. 5 and 6, each of said connecting rings is formedof sheet metal, and is split at I0. In cross-section said ring has theform of an outwardly opening U shaped channel, as best shown in Fig. 6,having side walls or flanges l2 and I4 spaced apart a distance slightlygreater that the diameter of the wire from which springs 2 are formed..As shown in Figs. 1,3 and 4, connecting rings 8 are disposedintermediate the upper loops 6 of springs .2, said loops being adaptedto project between the walls I 2 and M of rings 8 at spaced positionsabout the peripheries of said rings. When the connecting rings are sopositioned, the portions ,of walls I2 and [4 projecting inside of springloops 6 are crimped together, as indicated at I6, and springs :2 arethereby permanently and securely joined to form a spring cushion.

The lower baseloops 4 of springs 2 may be similarly joined by connectingrings '8, as indicated in Fig. 2, in which case a spring cushion whichcan be inverted to use either side is produced. In many cases, however,it is not desired to produce an invertible cushion, and in this case thelower ends of springs 2 may be attached to any suitable rigid support,not shown. The edges of the spring assembly produced by the use of rings8 may be bound in any suitable manner.

In Figs. 3 and 4 it will be noted that ring wall [2, or the wall at theouter surface of the spring cushion, is left planar, while wall M, orthe wall toward the interior of the cushion, is bent to contact wall I2.This produces a smoother surface for engaging upholstery to be carriedby the spring assembly, and reduces the possibility of tearing orotherwise damaging said upholstery. Said ring, having each a substantialannular area, also provide considerable support area for the upholstery,and tend to prevent upholstery from working into the spaces within andaround springs 2. Furthermore, since rings 8 are securely fixed to thesprings, there being at most only a limited possible relative movementtherebetween, said rings serve to distribute any load placed on saidspring cushion over a larger number of springs.

In Figs. 1 and 3 it will be note-d that split ill of each ring 8 isdisposed substantially radially relative to one of springs 2, so thatone of the crimped portions I6 of the ring bridges said split. Thissecurely anchors the ends of said ring adjacent said split, and preventssaid ends from damaging upholstery disposed thereover. This is deemed anadvantage, since while rings 8 could be welded to form continuous rings,or could be formed without splits from sheet stock, it has been foundmuch more economical to form the rings from strip stock and to leave theends unconnected. While a specific embodiment of my invention has beenshown, it is apparent that many variations of structure and design could'be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it istherefore respectfully requested that the protection granted me extendto all subject matter properly falling within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What I claim is:

1. A seat cushion spring assembly comprising a plurality of coilsprings, and a plurality of conwalls of said channel extending inside ofsaid spring loops being crimped together, one of said crimped portionsbridging the split of said ring.

4. In a seat cushion spring assembly having a plurality of coil springswith their upper end the upper walls being planar and the portionsnecting rings disposed intermediate said springs,

each of said rings having a pair of outwardly projecting spaced apartannular flanges receiving loops of the adjacent springs clampingly.therebetween.

2. In a seat cushion spring assembly having a plurality of coil springswith their upper end loops disposed in a plane, a plurality ofconnecting rings disposed intermediate said springs in the plane of saidend loops, each of said rings having the form of an outwardly openingchannel receiving therein portions of the end loops of the adjacentsprings, the portions of said channel walls extending within said springloops being crimped together to secure said spring loops within saidchannels.

3. In a seat cushion spring assembly having a plurality of coil springswith their upper end loops disposed in a plane, a plurality ofconnecting rings disposed intermediate said springs in the plane of saidend loops, each of said rings being split at one point in its peripheryof the lower walls extending within said spring loops being ofisetupwardly to secure said spring loops to said ring, and said ring havinga radial split therein intersecting one of said wall portions.

' CORNELIUS EUGENE PLATT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 789,815 Neider May 16, 1905867,507 Higgin Oct. 1, 1907 1,480,753 Falls Jan. 15, 1924 1,727,529 VanHove Sept. 10, 1929 1,761,711 Ehlenbeck June 3, 1930 1,929,792 PerleszOct. 10, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 105,985 Austria Mar.25, 1927 269,812 Great Britain Apr. 28, 1927

